Track Schedules

DECATUR, IL (July 10)  – Kaley Gharst was back in action for the first time in a couple of weeks, but it didn’t last long. The 20 year old sprint car driver from Decatur, Illinois tested the waters with the All Star Circuit of Champions last Friday night at the Terre Haute Action Track in Indiana. Despite fielding a top five car, motor problems sidelined him for the weekend and beyond. The talented driver continues to look for a quality sprint car ride.

With storms having passed through Terre Haute, there almost wasn’t a race at the famous half-mile oval. “I was a bit surprised we even got the race in,” says Kaley. “The track was in pretty bad shape when we got there, but they did a good job getting it ready. It was pretty heavy and bumpy, but not as rough as everyone though it would be.”

Despite his struggles in qualifying this year and a brief break from behind the wheel, Kaley laid down the ninth quick lap of the night in time trials. “We got one of our motors back from Jaymie Moyle,” he explains. “We were able to put that in Guy Webb’s (#51) car. We maybe should have qualified a little bit better, but that car was set a little tight. With the year we’ve been having qualifying, that’s not bad at all.”

The effort in qualifying put him outside row two of the heat with some heavy competition. That didn’t phase Kaley. “We had (Tim) Shaffer and (Lance) Dewease behind us and Jeremy Campbell and Troy Little in there in front of us,” he says. “We had a decent start and got up to second through one and two. The car was working well, and we were able to get by the leader and go on to win.”

Kaley started seventh in the feature event, and immediately moved forward. “We had a pretty good start, and we were up to fifth,” he says. “The track was bumpy and I hit the kill switch going into the corner.” The mistake saw him restart at the back of the pack.

After a fast restart, things turned sour. “That was a tough deal, but we came back through the field pretty good,” he says. “We were passing two cars a lap for awhile. Then we broke a crank in the motor, so that put an end to the plans we had for the weekend and at least the next couple of weeks for that matter. I don’t even know when we’ll be back out.”

Kaley continues to look for a quality ride in the sprint cars. After winning a dozen times in 2007, it’s tough for a young competitive driver to be idle. His win at the Lee County Speedway a few weeks ago is proof that given the chance, he can excel. “We’re definitely still looking to partner with someone,” he says. “We’re not able to race much right now. Obviously, we’re fast if given the right opportunity.”

Keep an eye on Kaley’s progress this week and beyond at www.KaleyGharst.com !

If you would like to receive Kaley’s weekly releases, send an e-mail with the subject line “Kaley” to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net .